Editing Tortoise (section)

===Life cycle===
[[File:Leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) head.jpg|thumb|left|Adult male [[leopard tortoise]], South Africa]]
[[File:Tortoise laying eggs.webm|thumb|right|Tortoise laying eggs]]
[[File:IsaacSulcata.jpg|thumb|left|Young African [[African spurred tortoise|sulcata tortoise]]]]

Most species of tortoises lay small clutch sizes, seldom exceeding 20 eggs, and many species have clutch sizes of only 1–2 eggs. Incubation is characteristically long in most species, the average incubation period are between 100 and 160.0 days. Egg-laying typically occurs at night, after which the mother tortoise covers her [[clutch (eggs)|clutch]] with sand, soil, and organic material. The eggs are left unattended, and depending on the species, take from 60 to 120 days to incubate.<ref name="Incubation">{{cite web|author=Highfield, Andy|url=http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/eggfaq.html|title=Tortoise egg incubation|publisher=Tortoisetrust.org|access-date=2009-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905231033/http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/eggfaq.html|archive-date=2013-09-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> The size of the egg depends on the size of the mother and can be estimated by examining the width of the [[cloacal]] opening between the [[carapace]] and [[Turtle shell#Plastron|plastron]]. The plastron of a female tortoise often has a noticeable V-shaped notch below the tail which facilitates passing the eggs. Upon completion of the incubation period, a fully formed [[hatchling]] uses an [[egg tooth]] to break out of its shell. It digs to the surface of the nest and begins a life of survival on its own. They are hatched with an embryonic egg sac which serves as a source of nutrition for the first three to seven days until they have the strength and mobility to find food. Juvenile tortoises often require a different balance of nutrients than adults, so may eat foods which a more mature tortoise would not. For example, the young of a strictly [[herbivory|herbivorous]] species commonly will consume [[worm]]s or insect [[larva]]e for additional protein.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Feeding your baby: 6–12 months |url=https://www.unicef.org/parenting/food-nutrition/feeding-your-baby-6-12-months |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=www.unicef.org |language=en}}</ref>

The number of concentric rings on the carapace, much like the cross-section of a [[tree]], can sometimes give a clue to how old the animal is, but, since the growth depends highly on the accessibility of food and water, a tortoise that has access to plenty of [[forage]] (or is regularly fed by its owner) with no seasonal variation will have no noticeable rings. Moreover, some tortoises grow more than one ring per season, and in some others, due to wear, some rings are no longer visible.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shells: Anatomy and Diseases of Turtle and Tortoise Shells|url=http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1797&aid=2700|website=PetEducation.com|publisher=[[Drs. Foster & Smith]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023060541/http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1797&aid=2700|archive-date=2013-10-23|access-date=2013-10-22}}</ref>

Tortoises generally have one of the longest lifespans of any animal, and some individuals are known to have lived longer than 150 years.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Moon|first1=J. C.|last2=McCoy|first2=E. D.|last3=Mushinsky|first3=H. R.|last4=Karl|first4=S. A.|title=Multiple Paternity and Breeding System in the Gopher Tortoise, ''Gopherus polyphemus''|doi=10.1093/jhered/esj017|journal=Journal of Heredity|volume=97|issue=2|pages=150–157|year=2006|pmid=16489146|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7288354|doi-access=free|citeseerx=10.1.1.572.6767}}</ref> Because of this, they symbolize longevity in some cultures, such as [[Chinese culture]]. The oldest tortoise ever recorded, and one of the oldest individual animals ever recorded, was [[Tu'i Malila]], which was presented to the [[Tonga]]n royal family by the British explorer [[James Cook]] shortly after its birth in 1777. Tu'i Malila remained in the care of the Tongan royal family until its death by natural causes on May 19, 1965, at the age of 188.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/tortoise-believed-to-have-been-owned-by-darwin-dies-at-176|title=Tortoise Believed to Have Been Owned by Darwin Dies at 176|work=Fox News|agency=Associated Press|date=2006-06-26|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060701141233/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200831,00.html|archive-date=July 1, 2006}}</ref>

The [[Alipore Zoological Gardens|Alipore Zoo]] in India was the home to [[Adwaita]], which zoo officials claimed was the oldest living animal until its death on March 23, 2006. Adwaita (also spelled Addwaita) was an [[Aldabra giant tortoise]] brought to India by Lord Wellesley, who handed it over to the Alipur Zoological Gardens in 1875 when the zoo was set up. West Bengal officials said records showed Adwaita was at least 150 years old, but other evidence pointed to 250. Adwaita was said to be the pet of [[Robert Clive]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4837988.stm|title='Clive of India's' tortoise dies|work=BBC News|date=2006-03-23|access-date=2009-04-07}}</ref>

[[Harriet (turtle)|Harriet]] was a resident at the [[Australia Zoo]] in Queensland from 1987 to her death in 2006; she was believed to have been brought to England by [[Charles Darwin]] aboard the [[HMS Beagle|''Beagle'']] and then on to Australia by [[John Clements Wickham]].<ref name="SII1">{{cite journal|last1=Thomson|first1=S.|last2=Irwin|first2=S.|last3=Irwin|first3=T.|year=1995|title=Harriet, the Galapagos tortoise: disclosing one and a half centuries of history|journal=Intermontanus|volume=4|issue=5|pages=33–35}}</ref> Harriet died on June 23, 2006, just shy of her 176th birthday.

[[Timothy (tortoise)|Timothy]], a female [[spur-thighed tortoise]], lived to be about 165 years old. For 38 years, she was carried as a [[mascot]] aboard various ships in Britain's [[Royal Navy]]. Then in 1892, at age 53, she retired to the grounds of [[Powderham Castle]] in [[Devon]]. Up to the time of her death in 2004, she was believed to be the United Kingdom's oldest resident.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/3607053.stm|title=Timmy the tortoise dies aged 160|date=2004-04-07|access-date=2019-05-30|language=en-GB}}</ref>

[[Jonathan (tortoise)|Jonathan]], a [[Dipsochelys hololissa|Seychelles giant tortoise]] living on the island of [[St Helena]], may be as old as {{Years ago|1832}} years.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26543021 Meet Jonathan, St Helena's 182-year-old giant tortoise] BBC, March 13, 2014</ref>

DNA analysis of the [[genome]]s of the long-lived tortoises, [[Lonesome George]], the iconic last member of ''[[Pinta Island tortoise|Chelonoidis abingdonii]]'', and the [[Aldabra giant tortoise]] ''Aldabrachelys gigantea'' led to the detection of lineage-specific variants affecting [[DNA repair]] genes that might contribute to their long lifespan.<ref name="Quesada2019">{{cite journal |vauthors=Quesada V, Freitas-Rodríguez S, Miller J, Pérez-Silva JG, Jiang ZF, Tapia W, Santiago-Fernández O, Campos-Iglesias D, Kuderna LF, Quinzin M, Álvarez MG, Carrero D, Beheregaray LB, Gibbs JP, Chiari Y, Glaberman S, Ciofi C, Araujo-Voces M, Mayoral P, Arango JR, Tamargo-Gómez I, Roiz-Valle D, Pascual-Torner M, Evans BR, Edwards DL, Garrick RC, Russello MA, Poulakakis N, Gaughran SJ, Rueda DO, Bretones G, Marquès-Bonet T, White KP, Caccone A, López-Otín C |title=Giant tortoise genomes provide insights into longevity and age-related disease |journal=Nat Ecol Evol |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=87–95 |date=January 2019 |pmid=30510174 |pmc=6314442 |doi=10.1038/s41559-018-0733-x }}</ref>